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Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow/East Carlow John Brady has said the announcement of changes to a number of Dublin Bus routes including three Wicklow routes signals a serious move to the privatisation of our public transport service.

“It was announced this morning that Dublin Bus has been unsuccessful in the tender process to operate 24 of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus routes in the Dublin metropolitan area. Go-Ahead, a private English bus operator, will instead begin taking over the operation of all 24 bus routes from November next year.

“Three of the twenty four routes are in Wicklow with the 184 from Bray Rail Station towards Newtownmountkennedy, the 185 from Bray Rail Station towards Shop River and the 45A from Dún Laoghaire Rail Station towards Kilmacanogue.

“Recent strike action by Dublin Bus workers exposed concerns at a privatisation agenda at work and this move seems to signal that intent.

“I am eager to learn from the NTA what made Go-Ahead more preferable than Dublin Bus who are already operating a decent service in both Wicklow and Dublin.

“I will be contacting Minister Ross and the National Transport Authority to raise concerns at the direction by which these changes are going. Public transport must remain just that, there cannot and should not be any interference in the network by private entities.” ENDS